VIENNA, 16 June 2011 - The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Government of Peru have strengthened their cooperation in the fields of trade capacity building, environmental protection and use of renewable energy.

This was stressed at a meeting in Vienna today between UNIDO Director-General, Kandeh K. Yumkella, and the Ambassador of Peru to Austria and to International Organizations in Vienna, García Revilla.

Ambassador Antonio Garcia Revilla voiced his country’s support for the 21-23 June Vienna Energy Forum. Co-organized by UNIDO, this major international event will bring together over 1000 participants, including heads of State, ministers, energy experts, representatives of international and non-governmental organizations, academia, civil society and the private sector.

The Forum will discuss how energy poverty, recognized as a major development obstacle, can be overcome while the decarbonisation of energy systems is accelerated. Participants will work towards promoting global initiatives to achieve universal access to sustainable energy for all, as called for by the UN General Assembly.

Other topics of discussion between Director-General Yumkella and Ambassador Revella included UNIDO’s new approach in the Latin American region which focuses on industrial developing policies aimed at enhancing development in areas related to poverty reduction through productive activities and resource-efficient and sustainable industrialization.

In the area of trade capacity building, UNIDO and the Peruvian Government have established an export consortia for small and medium enterprises. The project is financed by the Italian Development Cooperation. The 30 consortia cover a wide variety of sectors ranging from jewellery, to information technology, to tourism.

In the field of environmental protection, the Persistent Organic Pollutants (PCB) treatment under the Stockholm Convention gave fresh impetus to UNIDO’s long involvement with chemicals management. In 2010, with the financing of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), a new full-sized PCBs project for Peru was approved.

In line with UNIDO’s energy programme, the efforts and progress of the Peruvian Government, through the Ministry of Energy and Mines, in the field of electrification as a means of achieving of the MDG were recognized. The Government of Peru has established a "National Rural Electrification Plan – Light for All" (2006-2011) to extend the national electricity coverage through the implementation of plans and electrification projects in marginal and rural areas.

From 2006 to 2010, more than 1,200 projects worth a total of USD 616 million on rural electrification were executed.

By July 2011, Peru plans to provide electricity to over 11,000 villages, which would benefit a population of some 3 million. In that sense, UNIDO is ready to cooperate with Peru in developing future projects related to the field of energy and green energy.